Meredith Offers New Programs to Welcome, Support Students

As Meredith begins to welcome new students to campus for the fall 2022 semester, the College is offering a number of innovative programs to help students be successful.

Summer Bridge Program

This year, Meredith initiated a program to help incoming students become incorporated into the campus community before they begin the fall semester. Over 80 students chose to sign up.

“They have an opportunity to get to know other students, meet professors, become familiar with the campus, and refresh skills they need to succeed in their college courses,” said Sarah Roth, dean of the School of Arts and Humanities. “Because the Summer Bridge classes are pass/fail, and because students focus on only one class, incoming freshmen are eased into college-level work in a more relaxed environment.”

The Summer Bridge Program was offered at no cost to N.C. residents, thanks to funding released by the governor of North Carolina to help students affected by COVID-19-related conditions. Out-of-state students were charged a modest fee.

Participants earned two hours of general elective credit before beginning their fall semester through focused courses designed to help strengthen important skills like writing, oral presentation, and research. Classes broached a range of topics from the French Revolution to Media Production to Chemistry and incorporated engaging learning strategies such as historical role-playing, hands-on video production, online games, and more. 

Most classes started online on August 8 and continued for approximately two hours a day. Classes then met in person on campus for most of the week of August 15. Students who are living on campus also moved into residence halls three days early.

First-Year Music Boot Camp

This is the second year a First-Year Music Boot Camp has been offered. The program is designed to help music majors and minors make the transition from high school to college, and to understand the unique aspects of being a music major.

“We discuss how to practice, what expectations are for one-on-one lessons, how to work with a collaborative pianist, how to stay mentally and physically healthy, and more,” said Jeanie Wozencraft-Ornellas, head of the music department and associate professor of voice.

She noted that students also participate in games and activities designed to acquaint them with the music buildings and the campus.

“We started the Boot Camp in large part because we saw how stressed our students have become in the past several years, and we wanted to offer them a fun, relaxed way to start their year,” she said. “As a result, we believe that the students last year had a very strong start to their college studies.”

Student Success Center

The recently-established Student Success Center (SSC) incorporates support programs that have long been available, such as the Learning Center, as well as the newly-launched Success Coach program.

“Our Success Coach program is designed to help all students reach their academic, social, and career goals by prioritizing self-care and solid habits,” said Tina Romanelli, director of the Student Success Center.

The SSC provides Meredith students with advising, success coaching, peer tutoring, and mentoring. SSC staff partner with students, faculty, and staff across campus to increase student satisfaction, success, retention, and graduation. Offices are located both adjacent to the Cate Student Center on the first floor of Park and on the lower floor of the Carlyle Campbell Library.

“Personalized academic advising, accountability meetings, and one-on-one or small-group tutoring can help any student make the most of their time at Meredith,” said Romanelli. “Collectively, our work empowers students to be in charge of their own experience.”